12.4.18 #thapump

Day 2 of the 2nd week of testing saw a variety of body weight muscular capacity movements.

Mentions for Maria for top score on sit ups going right through without stoping and Martin in DP for pushing himself on each test and finishing the press ups right in the dying seconds.

WOD

A) AMRAP10

Strict pull ups

B) 100 press ups for time

C) 100 sit ups for time

We also had our 2nd edition of #CelticNutrition – the member blog from Tracy Davies, who really highlighted the importance of having balance and ensuring you are flexible if you want to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Please take the time to read the entry below it is a very insightful entry that ALL our #celticwarriors need to take note of.

Why is nutrition important to you

Nutrition is important to me as food is one of the biggest parts of my life!

My entire day revolves around my next meal time & I am well known by my family & friends since a very young age for getting hangry if left un-fed for more than a couple of hours! Food in general, cooking, eating out, meal times makes up a big part of my social time.

There are also many health conditions that run in my family that I believe can be kept under control or reversed by nutritional changes. I would hope that by eating well I will not be susceptible to some of these conditions.
What nutrition plans etc have you tried and which one is best for you

You name it, I’ve probably tried it! I gained a large amount of weight in my late teens & from growing up as a child that never ate a vegetable I looked for every possible crash diet to get the weight off. My staple lunch at high school would be 10 packets of 10p crisps with my £1 dinner money so finding a healthy way of eating was always going to be a struggle.

Weightwatchers – had success initially but far too low calorie for adherence in the long term, didn’t teach me about health, just taught me to seek out low calorie foods. Lots of rules

Slimming world – better at the health side of things, cooking from scratch etc but did not encourage physical activity or teach portion control. Lots of rules

Slimfast/weightloss pills/patches/herbalife/special k – ridiculous

Paleo – far too restrictive for me, I believe in the concept & the reasons for the plan but for goodness sake a white potato or grain of rice is not going to kill you. Lots of rules

Intermittent fasting – always wanted to try, never made it through day 1 despite numerous attempts

Flexible dieting/IIFYM (if it fits your macros) – a kind of 80/20 approach – ah ha, finally something that is sensible, something that promotes moderation rather than restriction, something that is sustainable over the long term.

Basically, flexible dieting means you have your calories set at a certain number for your goal, whether that be maintenance, bulking (gaining weight) or cutting (losing weight). That is then split into the macronutrient ratio that suits you best, then you plan your meals/snacks to fit in those numbers. Nothing is forbidden, there is no guilt for eating non-clean foods but there is still a focus on getting in the healthy stuff along with some treats. There is no need to ‘cheat’ or fail at the plan as nothing is off limits.
How you ensure you stay on track with your nutrition

I find it quite easy to stay on track with my nutrition as I enjoy all the foods I eat, the meals are easy & quick to make, tasty & I am usually pretty prepared in advance.

I don’t stress too much about hitting my numbers exactly, I usually aim to get my minimum grams of protein in (1g per lb bodyweight as a guide) then carbs normally fall around 100g & the rest is filled by fat calories. I’m never exact to the calories, just there or thereabouts, it will even itself out.

I don’t allow too much variety in my diet as I find it easier to prepare the same thing for several meals e.g. 9 times out of 10 I have an egg based breakfast, whether that’s an omelette, boiled egg, scrambled egg, with vegetables or with bacon. Now & again I may have protein porridge if I fancy it but by keeping it similar takes up less mental energy. My breakfasts are made up of fat & protein, usually not many carbs as I have found this is the best way for me to settle my cravings/blood sugars.

Lunches are usually chicken! Whether that be in a salad, a slaw, a soup, or with kale/broccoli/etc, it is always made up of a protein source with a large serving of vegetables. Just lately I am trialling having a little rice/quinoa with my lunchtime meal & so far so good.

Evening meals again are always a protein source, usually turkey/steak/or chicken with a large serving of vegetables whether that’s a traditional Sunday dinner type of veg or a stir fry or a large salad.

I don’t tend to eat many starchy carbs in my meals as I prefer to save them for my treats, a cake here or a chocolate bar there.

Snacks are a big thing for me, I have tried in the past to eat bigger meals but still needed something in between to take the edge off so I usually have things like a portion of nuts, protein bar or a piece of the office cake that is usually on offer in the afternoons J

Eating out is never an issue for me, I find it easy to choose similar meals to what I would eat at home & my general rule unless it is a special occasion is carbs OR alcohol, not both.

Convenience & speed is a big factor for me, I buy ready washed bagged salads, I throw jacket sweet potatoes in the microwave because I can’t be bothered to chop it up to make ‘fries’. I use ready-made sauces & bisto gravy as who has time to stand in the kitchen to make from scratch from a thousand ingredients. The best saying I learnt a while ago was ‘don’t let perfect be the enemy of good’

Weekends are also a time to enjoy, not be too het up on whether you have gone over a couple of hundred calories by enjoying a few indulgences.